1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a cooling apparatus for vehicle-mountable battery packs, and particularly, to a cooling apparatus for vehicle-mountable battery packs including an air filter and an electric fan.
2. Relevant Art
There are vehicles such as electric automobiles or hybrid automobiles including an electric motor mounted thereon as a drive source for traction. In those vehicles, electric power is supplied to vehicle-mounted electrical appliances including the electric motor. Hence, there is mounted a battery pack for accommodating battery sets with a capacity affording to supply large power.
At the battery pack, the battery sets are accommodated in a battery case. Since battery sets dissipate heat upon charge and discharge, the battery sets are cooled by passing outside air through the battery case. Outside air is suctioned inside the battery case, using an electric fan, while outside air is cleaned with an air cleaner to prevent foreign matter such as dust from invading the battery case.
To this point, in JP 2006-73256 A, there is disclosed a technique of connecting a pipe-shaped air suction duct to a battery case, having an intervening filter member in mid-way of the air suction duct.